Illinois launches new Ebola hotline, task force

Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune

Nurse Melanie Irving has her protective suit taken off by Miriam Miller, an emergency prep coordinator, at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, during a personal protection suit training session to prepare for the possibility of working with future ebola patients.

Nurse Melanie Irving has her protective suit taken off by Miriam Miller, an emergency prep coordinator, at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, during a personal protection suit training session to prepare for the possibility of working with future ebola patients.

Three cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the U.S., but fear is spreading at a much faster pace, experts said.

Stevan Hobfall, a clinical psychologist at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, said that despite reassurances that a mass outbreak — like the one in West Africa — could not happen...

Three cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the U.S., but fear is spreading at a much faster pace, experts said.

Stevan Hobfall, a clinical psychologist at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, said that despite reassurances that a mass outbreak — like the one in West Africa — could not happen...

(Bonnie Miller Rubin)

In the meantime, authorities are continuing to focus on international travel through O'Hare International Airport, said JonathonMonken,director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

"Our primary area of concern here is international travel that fits the possible exposure profile that's most likely coming in through one of the airports in Illinois that has international connectivity,"Monken said.

O'Hare was one of five U.S. airports the CDC designated for Ebola screeningsbecause they host more than 94 percent of travelers from countries affected by the outbreak: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. O'Hare sees about 20to 25 travelersfrom these countries each day,Hasbrouck said.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk called for more precautions at O'Hare after touring the airport's Ebola screening center.

The Illinois Republican met with officials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services and Customs and Border Protection to evaluate airport screening procedures.

While Kirk said he was impressed with provisions such as infrared thermometers, he urged government officials to stop direct flights to the United States from countries with Ebola outbreaks.

"We need to make sure no one from the Ebola countries gets a valid visa to the United States," Kirk said. "I think the only way to protect this airport is to make sure people with Ebola do not get in here."